NEWS: 9.0 Quake, Tsunamis Strike SE Asia - 275,000+ Dead

An earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale rocked a northern Indonesian island today and triggered severe aftershocks and tidal waves all
throughout the southeast Asia region. The northernmost tip of Sumatra received the brunt of the first massive tremblor, which is one of the strongest
quakes recorded in the last century and the second 8+ magnitude quake to strike in the last week. More than 275,000 people are dead in the SE Asia
region, and tens of thousands are missing. An estimated 1/3 of the victims are children. More than half a million people are injured, and thousands
of those are critically injured. Phone lines in the area are down and electricity is out. Many of the deaths are a result of tsunamis, which struck
9 countries in Asia and traveled as far as the east coast of Africa. Millions of people are left homeless, and the death toll is expected to rise
significantly; some officials estimate more than 100,000 people could have perished. Among the dead is the crown prince of Thailand.

The temblor, which struck about 7 a.m. local time, was centered offshore about 1,605 kilometers northwest of the capital Jakarta, at a depth of 10
kilometers, U.S. seismologists said in a preliminary report on the Web site.

The earthquake would rank among the 10 strongest recorded since 1900, if the preliminary reading isn't revised lower, according to U.S. Geological
Survey data.

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The force of the initial quake was so great that it caused the island of Sumatra to shift almost 100 feet to the southwest. It is believed that a 600
mile rupture occurred on the floor of the Indian Ocean. Scientists also believe the seismic shock was so strong that it caused the Earth to wobble on
its axis and may have shortened our day by 3 microseconds.

Many tourists, including residents of Japan, Britain, Australia and the US, are among the dead.

Nations across the world, including the US, France, Austria, and the EU, have come forward to offer aid in the form of food, supplies, and money.
British Airways is sending empty planes to the flooded Maldives Islands to assist with evacuation of survivors.

Tsunamis struck as far away as Somalia, on the coast of Africa.

More than 80 aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0 have occurred since the initial quake, along with hundreds of smaller tremors.

This is the 2nd earthquake of 2004 to be measured at a magnitude 8 or greater. Last week, an 8.1 quake struck well offshore of Australia and
caused no damage or injuries.

This is the largest recorded quake in 40 years. A magnitude 9.2 earthquake struck east of Anchorage, Alaska in March 1964.

In a sad coincidence, the Sumatra earthquake fell one year to the day after the destructive tremblor in Bam, Iran, which killed more than 25,000
people.

The BBC is confirming that at least 150 people have been killed by tidal waves triggered by this earthquake. They are also reporting the USGS'
8.5 figure and that the earthquake was felt as far away as Bangkok and Signapore. Thailand has been hit with high tides and tremors are being felt in
Bangladesh.

Huge casualties are being reported following tidal waves and earth tremors in countries across southern and eastern Asia.
...
Large tidal waves striking coastal parts of Sri Lanka have reportedly killed at least 150 people.
...
Electricity and telephone networks in the area have stopped working, making it difficult to confirm the extent of the damage, the BBC's Rachel
Harvey in Jakarta reports.
...
Several houses in the towns of Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe are said to have been damaged or washed away in flash floods.

A witness interviewed by a local radio station reported seeing nine bodies in Banda Aceh, where part of the town's largest hotel is said to have
collapsed.

This is breaking news and the story is being updated as information comes in.

At least 162 people were reported killed in Sri Lanka after the quake, which seismologists said measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck in the
Indian ocean southwest of Aceh province on Sumatra island and sparked panic across the region.
…
Sri Lanka's eastern and southern coastline was one of the worst hit areas, with rescuers saying at least 162 people had been killed by tidal waves
that battered villages. story

MASSIVE tidal waves hit eastern and southern Sri Lanka today causing flash floods and displacing thousands of people, police said.
…
Reports from the coastal area suggested that a stretch of more than 500km from Trincomalee in the island's east to Galle in the south had been hit by
huge tidal waves, but in many places water had receded. story

HUGE tidal waves struck southern Thailand's popular resort island of Phuket today, sweeping at least four foreign tourists out to sea, sinking boats
and forcing the evacuation of hotels, officials said on state radio.
…
The Thai Meteorological Department said the waves had been caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean. The waves that lashed the eastern sea board
were caused by the aftershocks of an earthquake off Indonesia.
"There were reports of earth tremors from the southern and eastern regions as well as Colombo this morning," Spokesman S Premalal said.
"This phenomenon of waves is a result of the earthquake in the Indian Ocean."

Police said thousands of people had been forced out of their homes while hundreds of homes along the coast had also been washed away.
story

A HUGE earthquake rocked Indonesia today, unleashing tidal waves and flash floods across Asia that swamped coastal areas and displaced thousands.
…
First Lieutenant Suyitno of Aceh's southwestern Sigli district police, said that water began to rise some 30 minutes after the quake and added that
hundreds of people residing near the coast or along rivers had been evacuated.

Unconfirmed radio reports said at least nine people had been killed in Indonesia. Waves up to five metres high hit the coast of Aceh forcing
hundreds to flee to higher ground.

In Aceh, a region currently closed off to foreign media and aid agencies due to a long-running separatist conflict, there were unconfirmed reports of
casualties, with buildings including a mosque and a hotel collapsing.
story

Aceh Province seems to be the hardest hit area… I’ll start my stopwatch and see how long before HAARP gets the blame.

And for those reading from where they loath everything French... 5 meters is about 16.5 feet.

Didn't Titor say something about two 8+ magnitude quakes in the same week? lol. Seriously, man, this is awful! I can't and even imagine the horror
that these people had to be experiencing because the ground had to be shaking violently. Then, after the shaking subsides, you have to run for your
life because a wall of water is racing towards you.

It looks like the quakes after shocks are riding right up the northern side of the Indian plate right towards the Himilayas. This is amazing as the
other major quake this week looked like it hit on the lower tip of this same plate. Could we be in for some major activity over the next few weeks?

Amazing. I knew this was going to happen soon, but now that it is happening, I can't beleive it. The first phase of the apocalypse has begun. Now,
what is going to happen when all those volcanos erupt.

i just posted the earthquake yesterday in the antartic and now this one came today and hit large area wow.i guess the plates are moving.i guess we
might expect some plates to move on our side too.mostly because there are all connected in one point or another.

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